Away to a manger

Today is Sunday.  Our day of rest!  We are so thankful for it.  We have been going from sun up to sun down all week. JUC is such a great program.  It is an academia approach to viewing the Holy Land.  Our lessons are filled with biblical, cultural, and topography lessons.  I highly recommend the program for anyone who is interested in spending significant amount of time prepping for the tour with map work at home, who can handle long hikes on tough terrain, and long days.  It is worth all the energy exerted but it is not a "tour and shopping" trip!  We do get a couple of free days to shop and visit museums around Jerusalem and usually 15-20 minutes to shop when we are at locations outside the city.  Today is one of those days!  Mark has been informed we will need to convert a significant amount of money!

I am so behind on blogging.  Last time I came with Olivia it was a requirement for the course we took and so each night I would force myself to sit and type out what we had seen and what I thought about it all.  This time since it is not a requirement and I am with Mark, I seem to do this verbally at night and then we pass out from exhaustion!  So, what that means is I will be going through my photos and notes from several days.  Buckle up!  

I believe I left off with our New Testament day that ended at the Holy Sepulcher.  Our next day (Wed Oct 21st) started off with views of Jerusalem from Mt Scopus. This is located to the north and has lovely views of the beginning of the wilderness. In the distance we could see Anathoth the home of Jeremiah the prophet.  I have never really studied the prophets of the old testament much.  I know some key messianic verses but beyond that have never associated their message to Israel as a message to me.  I think I am very wrong.  The warnings that they give and the fact that Jesus refers to them in his teachings makes me think the old testament is a vital part of the new testament so much richer in meaning.  Just as the land here gives me visuals to help me understand the history I read about in the bible, so does the old testament give us visuals for the new testament.  

Our next stop was the Mount of Olives. The mount of Olives is actually a range of what we would classify has large hills.  There are 3 distinct ones from the view of the city.  One mount is covered with tombs and the other two were more olive tree groves.  They sit across the central valley from Jerusalem.  The Garden of Gethsemene is located on the second hill.  We read about Jesus crying out in prayer to his Father to take this cup away from him but that if not he would be faithful.  It always makes me emotional to think of that moment that he chose to give His life, His blood for mankind. For me. What a gift.  There are several churches on the Mt of Olives.  One is shaped like a tear drop to remember when Jesus wept for Jerusalem.  We went into the Church of all Nations that is located in the Garden of Gethsemane.  I love this church because there is silence.  You have an emotional experience based on quiet time with God. Based on reflection.  Not based on music, lights, or a praise team.  The church sets the mood to make it feel like it is night time in the garden.  No one speaks. We just walk around to different parts of the church that have art work on the walls and huge alabaster stained glass windows depicting crosses.  As you walk up the middle isle you come to an alter and huge rock protruding from the floor.  This is where Jesus cried out to his father.  It literally brought me to my knees.  I had to kneel and touch the ground and offer my thanksgiving and praise.  

Same day we drove to Herodium and looked at his magnificent palace. it is a cool place filled with tons of archeological information from the time of King Herod up to the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD.  We climbed in cisterns, tunnels, and around the palace.  It is huge!  We were able to see the shepherd fields from top and reflect on how the hillside developed the character of David as king. This area outside of Bethlehem would have been where he would have been tending sheep.  Protector, Leader, Warrior.  All are needed to survive in this land.   Next we went into Bethlehem.  We made a quick stop to the shepherd fields where the angels appeared to the shepherd (remembered as the place.  Hard to find any archeological evidence of angels appearing!)  A quick trip and we were at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.  There is documentation from 1st century that this is where Jesus was born.  This is huge!  There would have still been family in the area to confirm that yes, this is the place.  No one disputed it. We were able to go into the room and see the manger (which is made of stone and not wood)   It was a permanent fixture in the "storage room" of the house.  The animals would have been brought in when the weather was bad.  Since it is stone it would not have been moved in and out as it would have been way to heavy.  When Mary and Joseph came to stay with their relatives there was no room in the "guest room" (other relatives were already there)  so they put them in the room with the manger.  I love this thought more.  God didn't desert them and let them fend for themselves as the Savior of the world is being born.  He provided them with a house full of family support.  Joseph didn't cut the cord!   Every woman in the family and likely some neighbors as well were acting as midwives to make sure Mary and baby were taken care of.  That is the how it is still done today in some areas.  They value birth and life as a gift from God and would have surrounded them to help.  LOVE IT!  Think about it.  How did the shepherds find them.  They come into Bethlehem and ask one maybe two people. Everyone knows who had a baby because it is a community effort in those days.  I wish I could upload some pictures to go with my blog but unfortunately my computer isn't cooperating.  I am trying to put them on Facebook.  

OVERWHELMING (In a good way)

Tuesday afternoon was our first day out in the city and by the time we made it back to campus we had hiked over 7 miles!  You know as I type this 7 miles doesn't sound like much, but since it included about a billion stairs my body was pretty sore by the time I plopped onto our bed at 8pm!  We are having an amazing time!  We started off by  quickly walking through Old Jerusalem to not only orient ourselves with the maze but to take a look at Hezekiah's Wall (the Broad Wall) We were staring at a structure that is dated some 700 yrs BC! It is an amazing feat for Hezekiah's to enclose this part of the city and protect his people from Assyria.  The rest of the day was hiking down the Tyropoeon Valley to the City of David, walking through Hezekiah's tunnel,  and sitting on the stairs of the pool of Siloam. 

  My thoughts and emotions are all over the place.  Hezekiah save the day by protecting the city and its water supply.  

The "Large Stone" ruins which could have possibly been David's palace(as it is dated 10th century BC) and the Burnt house are evidence of the destruction brought about during the Babylonian invasion about 100 years later.  God used the Assyrians and the Babylonians to bring judgement to His unfaithful children.  God had given them the promise land and they had renewed their commitment to follow God in Joshua 24 and in verse 13 Joshua reminds them what God had promised them. " I gave you a land on which you had not labored and cities that you had not built, and you dwell in them. You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant."  Of course God's promise came with action on their part and when they had turned their back on God and His ways over and over again Zephaniah predicts that they are about to be evicted from the promise land.  

“On that day,” declares the Lord,

    “a cry will be heard from the Fish Gate,
a wail from the Second Quarter,
    a loud crash from the hills.
¹¹ Wail, O inhabitants of the Mortar!
    For all the traders^[c] are no more;
    all who weigh out silver are cut off.
¹² At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps,
    and I will punish the men
who are complacent,^[d]
    those who say in their hearts,
‘The Lord will not do good,
    nor will he do ill.’
¹³ Their goods shall be plundered,
    and their houses laid waste.
Though they build houses,
    they shall not inhabit them;
though they plant vineyards,
    they shall not drink wine from them.”

First thing I thought as we reflected on this is HOW COOL!  Our Wednesday night bible study had just finished Joshua.  God's Word is never studied in vain.  It also brought me fear to think of God's judgement and how he used other nations to bring it.  I felt an urgency for our nation.  We need a revival of faithful believers! We ended the day climbing back up to the Old City through an underground tunnel that was probably how sewage filtered down the hill under Herodian Road.  It was so stinkin' awesome! (pun intended) 

Today was FABULOUS!  We went to my favorite places.  The 1st century road, temple steps, and the Church of the Holy Seplecher.  Mark and I sat in awe as we thought about the fact that we are sitting where God in flesh walked and sat.  Where He emptied himself for mankind to save us.  To think that everyone in His time thought that God's presence was in the temple but He was standing right in front of them.  Fully God. Fully human.  Mark and I standing where the creator of all things once stood. There are no words to describe it. I am more emotional this trip.  Maybe because I'm not as worried about where we are going or getting separated from the group and just enjoying the moment.  Our time at the church left us astonished.  We touched the actual rock that Jesus was crucified on and saw the empty grave He left behind.  It is just the most magnificent experience!   We ended the day on the roof top of the upper room where Jesus ate his last supper and likely appeared to the apostles after his resurrection.  This is where the first church gathered, the day of pentecost occurred, and possibly the Jerusalem counsel met.  OVERWHELMING!!!  In a good way!  We are so blessed to be on this journey together.  I cherish the memories we are making!  I can't wait to come back with Otto ;-) 

Beyond Excited!

I've had a couple of people ask if I was going to blog while Mark and I spend 2 weeks in Israel.  I have too!  There is no way I can rely on my memory. Just want you to know that my entries will be full of grammatical and spelling errors.  I was embarrassed after reading my entries after the last trip.  The blog I did in 2012 helped me keep track of all the places we visited and some of my thoughts and feelings at the sites. I am planning on rereading it before we board the plane on Sunday.  How did this second trip come about? First let me say I can't believe I am blessed to go again!   I am beyond excited to walk through the Holy Land with the love of my life.  Mark and I decided a couple of years ago that we wanted to take a special trip for our 25th wedding anniversary.  We both love to travel.   We had a lot of fun talking about all the places we could go see. Mark's family is originally from Germany so we had talked about riding the rail through Europe.  We sponsor a small boy named Kledis in Albania and have always wanted to meet him so that was also high on our list.   I remember talking about going Italy which led to us maybe going Greece too, and then Mark saying you know what I really want to do?  I want to go to Israel with you!  I honestly cannot think of a more intimate vacation than walking around together hand in hand where are Savior walked!  Sunday we will board our plane and start this journey together.  We will be not only celebrating our love for each other but also our love for Jesus.  Our marriage is not just a man and a woman in love with each other. Our marriage is a man and a woman trying to love each other like Jesus loves.  We ask Him to give us patience, kindness, forgiveness, peace, joy, self control and grace with each other.  He is in every decision, in every meal and bed time prayer, in every act of kindness, and even in every argument.  He is what makes our marriage full of love.    Jesus is an intricate part of our marriage and I am beyond excited to reflect on His life on our anniversary trip.  

Free Day

Tina Huber

Reflections~free day

January 21, 2012

My last exam was yesterday. I had a free morning yesterday but used it to study. If you are not aware this trip is more than a tour of the holy land. This is an in-term class worth 4 credit hours from JUC. I had romanticized this trip so much to be a spiritual tour of the holy land that when it first started I was disappointed with the amount of geology I had to learn! I now appreciate it because I really do feel that I have gotten a better look into how people where formed based on the environment and culture they group in. Middle eastern culture is very different from the west. One thing I appreciate about the eastern culture is their hospitality. They offer you tea and food all the time. This is something I have really appreciated. The men who serve us our food at JUC will give us double portions because we are their guest. (and they get offended if you stop them from doing it!) It brings them honor to be generous. I feel like this is a quality that us westerners need to embrace. It would bring God honor if we were more hospitable and generous. Not just in our time and money to our church but inviting others into our homes! I have enjoyed my time here in Israel but I have also been homesick. I miss the rest of my family. Mark and I have never been away from each other this long in our 21 years of marriage. I am used to talking with him everyday, even if he is out of town on business. I really missed sharing this experience with Mark and Otto too. I guess we’ll just have to come back! I had 3 goals when I came to Jerusalem. One, to learn about the holy land and have a deeper understanding that will strengthen my faith in God. I can say I accomplished this. This has been an amazing experience. I never feel like I am fully able to communicate with you all that I have seen or thought on a trip even tho I want to! Two, to get an A in the class. After my first week of class I thought I would be happy with a C! I got a B on my first exam and an A on my second so I am still hopeful I will be able to get an A. Three, to not fall and hurt myself. Two out of three ain’t bad! I have been so careful at these sites. Everything is rocky uneven ground and it has been a conscious effort placing each foot at some of these sites. The stairs are the worst. They are uneven. I had just said to one of the professors on the trip how I hated these stairs because they aren’t consistent in height or width. So coming off an archeological site in Galilee I miss judged a stair and went flying down. This was a very steep set of stairs that took you to a synagogue. I missed stepped on about step 8, was able to touch a foot on step 6 to push myself away from hitting the stairs head first and flew over steps 1-5 to land on the gravel below. I tried to roll but my back pack stopped me. It also is what propelled me forward. It weighs at least 10 lbs. most days. I have been sore for a few days now and have some lovely bruises on my right hip. I didn’t have to admit to this! I figure someone along the way will make a smart aleck comment about me not getting injured on my trip and I’ll have to confess anyway =) So, this has truely been a day off and was spent just relaxing, having some quiet time, and taking motrin.

Galilee day 4

Tina Huber

Reflection Day 13

Galilee 4

January 19, 2012

What a start to the day! We boarded a fishing boat and crossed the Sea of Galilee! It was the highlight of my day. The air was crisp and the clouds were a little low which added a little haze to the hills that surrounded us. It was an absolutely beautiful morning! The sea is actually a lake. It is a fresh water lake and has over 30 different types of fish in it. We learned today that almost half of the species would not have been kosher. So, the question was raised, would Peter and Andrew have thrown these fish back or sell them to the gentiles? Zebedee was thought to have a successful fishing business, so most believe that they had many dealings with gentile merchants. I’ve always just thought that Jesus picked the fishermen because they were faithful Jewish men who were just common folk. That by using men who weren’t highly educated God’s greatness would be magnified in their weakness. I still believe that is one element of why he chose them, but maybe he also chose them because God’s salvation needed to go to the other nations. He would need men who understand how to deal with gentiles. If Jesus had picked men who came from isolated, strict Jewish communities maybe it would have been more difficult for them to carry out the great commission. The Sea of Galilee has an international highway that runs right along it. This area would be a mixed culture for sure. I think it makes sense and gives a better understanding of who the apostles were. We leave the boat and head to the ‘cliffs of insanity’! The proper name is the Cliffs of Arbel but I couldn’t stop thinking of The Princess Bride when I would look at it! My first thought was that is insane. It is a straight down drop. I am not scared of heights but I have to say I was feeling a little uneasy trying to peak down the side. My husband would not have liked it! Since it had rained all day yesterday it would have been too dangerous to hike down. So we sat up top and read the great commission. Some believe that this is where Jesus gave the great commission. As I sat there watching the clouds engulf the hill next to us I started to imagine the ascension as well. It gave me chills to think about it. We had an amazing view over the city Magdala and the Sea of Galilee. I think I could have sat up there for hours. I have felt that about many of our sites and when I come back with my hubby we will make a point to do that. I really want to share these experiences with him! Can you tell I’m getting home sick? We had lunch and I ate my first pitaless falafel. Eating hasn’t been too bad but I hadn’t felt like I had yet had Israeli cuisine until today. I was told that this restaurant is the fast food version of it but I thought it was yummy. We stopped just long enough for the rain to come through and leave us with some sunshine as we drove to Caesarea. This is another place I could have spent some more time exploring. It is a city that Herod The Great made into a port city. He made a harbor. It is amazing to me that he was able to accomplish this 2,000 yrs ago! He made underwater cement out of volcanic dust to build a harbor and marina for the ships to come too. If that wasn’t extravagant enough he also built a temple to Caesar and of course a palace. Our last lesson was here. We sat next to the hearing room. This is where Paul would pleaded his case before Felix and Festus and appealed to Caesar. It was suggested that because Paul was a Roman citizen that he probably didn’t die in Rome when he was sent there. His citizenship would have protected him from the Jewish accusations and that he might have done a fourth and fifth missionary trip to Spain. I’ve never heard that before. I have really enjoyed taking this class. I had romanticized this trip into being a purely spiritual journey. It has been much more than that and I am thankful. I have learned a heck of a lot about a heck of a lot! Does that make any sense? I would like to thank Caesarea for a wonderful cup of coffee. I will cherish the memories of the sites that I have seen, the scriptures I have read, and the time I have spent with Olivia. Our Greenville group was paired with another college from the states as we toured Israel. I would like to leave you with a few things that I will not miss.

1. The word ‘like’ being used in a way that does not describe something you are fond of
2. Cold showers
3. No toilet paper! I’m going to start a mission group to send TP to Israel
4. Having unidentifiable stuff on your hotel bedding
5. Nescafe instant coffee
6. Steps
7. people whining about being in Israel!
8. trips to the emergency room
9. Eggs
10. taking tests

Here are few things I will miss..

1. Sharing new insights of old bible verses
2. Exploring exciting ancient sites
3. Making memories with my daughter
4. JUC rice...mmmm good
5. Date honey
6. making fun of Nescafe coffee
7. Sitting on the beach
8. Sacred places
9. walking as means of transportation
10. lack of internet and television

I have a test tomorrow and then a few free days. I think I will continue my reflection papers till I get on the plane.

Galilee Day 3

Tina Huber

Refleciton day 12

Galilee 3

January 18, 2012

I really enjoyed today. We are focusing much more on the life of Jesus and the apostles. This is what I have been looking forward to the most. Deeper insights to my Saviour. We started our day with a trip to a hillside. It was a city called Gergesa. As we sat on the hill that looked out to the Sea of Galilee we discussed the scripture of Jesus calming the storm. I’ve always wondered what kind of storm would freak out a fisherman? Apparently this sea can whip up 8ft waves! Their tiny fishing boat would have been no match. Their boat ended up where we sat today. A man who was demon possessed came to Jesus for healing. I never have thought much about the man’s perspective in this story but at the end of the verse it says that he wanted to go with them but Jesus said he had to stay behind. Why would Jesus do that? A few thoughts were offered. One, Jesus told him to tell everyone the good things that God has done. From the text and this location we can assume that this man was a gentile. There is a group of pigs that end up in the sea. There are not many pig farms in a Jewish settlement. Jesus wanted this man be a witness to the gentiles. To stay behind and tell them of God’s faithfulness. He was laying the ground work for the apostles who later had great success in this area. Second, why would this man want to leave his hometown after being healed? Someone obviously has helped care for him since he was put into chains during his times of madness. I’m sure it wouldn’t be easy to try and fit back into that community. Maybe this man wanted to just start a new life and get away? Or maybe he wasn’t convinced that he was truley healed and wanted to stay with Jesus in case it came back? What a lesson here. I can see so many parrellels to our current journy of faith. How many of us want to just sit along side Jesus instead of getting out there and doing the hard work of mending relationships and living a life that will make us say to others, “look what good things God has done!” How many of us make Jesus heal us over and over for the same thing? I had two cups of coffee so my mind was racing with all kinds of thoughts. How many different applications one little lesson can have. Our next stop was at Qasrin. The purpose of stopping here was to see a reconstructed first century home. A home like what Jesus would have stayed at or lived in. We sat in the home and retold the story of the paralytic coming in through the roof. The house was full from all of us who are taking this class. I can just imagine sitting there listening to Jesus teaching and have roof debri start falling down! I would have been saying ‘what the heck!? Walking through Israel the past couple of weeks there has been one constant. Rocks. These homes would have all been made of stone. The tools are made of stone, the streets are made of stone, everything is stone. You get the picture. So I now picture Jesus as a stone mason instead of a carpenter. He most likely built homes which would require a great deal of strength and a mind for mathematics. I love this image. He was strong, smart, and wise. It was also suggested that He probably was the one who patched up the roof after the paralytic took up his mat and left. Our next stop was Chorazim. I had never heard of it but in Luke 10 Jesus ‘woes’ this city. Jesus had obviously did some signs and wonders and the people didn’t repent. We sat in the synagogue that was still largely intact. Jesus was faithful at going to the synagogue every Sabboth. Paul seemed to model this too. Take the word to God’s people first and then to the gentiles. God was being faithful to his word even when he knew his people wouldn’t respond. I love being reminded of this. We can trust God. He is truth! He is faithful.

Galilee Day 2

Tina Huber

Reflection Day 11

Galilee day 2

January 17, 2012

I almost stayed in bed today. I have had a stomach ache and was a little worried about traveling on a bus all day. It didn’t help that it was cold and rainy. I could have stayed snuggled up in my bed and drank tea all day. But, I didn’t. I hate to miss anything. I’m glad I went, not only for the lessons and the insights, but as a nurse too. I ususally write my reflections the same day. This day ended on a scary note that left me too exhausted to do my homework. Stay tuned. I think our first stop was Hazor. This is a city that was important because it sits along an international trade route. This cities main income was from trading tin. It was a huge city. Over 200 acres. It is mentioned in Joshua as a city that they burned. This site did have a burn layer, but the biblical timeline and the archeology timeline are off by a couple of centuries. This one of those, we don’t know what to do with that, sites. I am no expert in either. So, who knows? It was cool to see but I wasn’t going to lose sleep over it. We left and went to Dan. This was an awesome stop. It was a nature reserve park and had the coolest hiking trails. A spring feeds this area and I have several cool pictures of it gushing along the trail. There was a ton of greenery and even flowers blooming. Which is a weird site for January. It really made me forget about feeling kind of icky and focus on God’s beautiful creation. Sometimes I will drop back from the group just to have some quiet time. This was one of those times. We hiked several trails that would lead us to different archeological sites. I saw the oldest arch gate in the world that Abraham himself likely walked through! Another trail took us to a city gate that had benches along the walls and a throne seat. This is where legal matters would take place. An example of Boaz redeeming Ruth was discussed. Tours were passing through during our lesson and I could see why people would choose this area to do their legal business. There are many witnesses and it settles the ‘drama’ before you enter the city. Our last trail took us to the ruins of a sacred precinct in the time of Jeroboam. I just need to give a shout out here for my church. I have on many occassions studied a lot of the stories that we have discussed on this trip. We are a small church and we believe in studying the actual word of God and not just topics. I have appreciated this from the first time I visited Chatham Christian Church nearly 20 years ago. My trip to Israel has made me proud to be apart of a church family that cherishes God’s Word! So, back to Jeroboam. Jeroboam comes into power as Israel becomes a divided kingdom. Rehoboam is the idiot son of Solomon in the south and Jeroboam, not of any worthy bloodline, becomes the King in the north. This scacred precinct ruins is referenced in 1 Kings. Jeroboam is worried that everyone will travel to the south to worship in Jerusalem and revert their loyalty to King Rehoboam. To solve the dilema he decides to build a temple here in Dan. How cool to see something from so long ago. I always think of my son, Otto, when we reference kings in the old testament. He has always been fascinated with those stories. Just a homesick thought. The rain continued throughout the day that led to some cancellations, which is the downside, but also seemed to give us more time at each site, which is the bright side. Caesarea Philippi was our next stop. The side of the hill is remarkable. It has brown and black striped rocked all along it and at the base is a cave that (before a disasterous earthquake) had a huge spring coming out of its entrance. This was such a pagan place. It had temples set up for every false god imaginable. Dancing goats, Nemesis- the goddess of revenge, Nymph -no explanation needed here, and Zeus to name a few. It was common practice to take your sacrifice and throw it into the cave waters that swirled around. If it was taken into what they called the ‘chaos‘ (the water in the cave) then if your prayer was answered it would suck it into the abyss, but if it was spit it back out then your prayer was rejected. This was often viewed as the gate of hades among the worshippers. Walking along looking at all the places for these false idols was eerie. I didn’t like it. I volunteered and read Matthew 16 aloud to the group. This bedrock along the side of the hill was a land marker. When Caesarea Philipi is mentioned here by Jesus this hill would come to mind. The author makes a point of pointing out the geographical location in these verses, so maybe Jesus is referencing this place when he says the gates of hades will not overcome it. The gates of hades was thought you can get in but can’t get out. I wonder if seeing this hill and the deceived worshipping in vain led to this discussion with his disciples? Jesus is constantly using his surroundings to give illustrations. I will always have that in my mind now when I read those verses! We did a small hike that led us to King Aggrippa’s place. The same king that Paul preached to! Just a little side trip. I found a sketchy bone that looked human. I kept going. We also took a fun trip to see a water fall. It was lovely! Because of the rain it was pouring over the side of the hill with a ton of force. I love waterfalls! It was just another fun side trip. We left and went to see the peak of Mt Hermon. The professor who has been to this place 4 times has never seen the top because clouds are always in the way. We were expecting the same. It had been raining all day. We got to a look out point and the clouds cleared long enough for us to “ooo” and “ahh” and take pictures. Keeping busy helped take my mind of my nausea. I wasn’t the only one with stomach issues today. Several of us had been feeling pretty icky. When we got back on the bus, one of the sick had such bad stomach pains that he was moaning and flenching. I did a quick exam and thought it was best to head to the hospital. The closest hospital was about an hour away. This was the longest trip. His pain kept getting worse and worse. He was in such severe pain that he passed out a couple of times. I was getting very concerned for him. I thought he had appendicitis and that it might burst. It was quite an experience getting him to the emergency room. Once there they too were suspecting appendicitis and had him scheduled for some tests. There was some differences in patient care but overall the hospital staff was good, the hospital was clean, had the latest technology, and they spoke English well enough that I felt comfortable leaving. Ross spent the night at the hospital and it was determined that he had a bad viral infection in his intestines that was causing severe spasms. We all thought he would need to have surgery. I am very thankful that he is feeling better and out of the hospital. I have so far been to prompt care with a girl who fell down the stairs, help clean and bandage those injured by the Dead Sea, and spent the evening in the ER. Maybe having a nurse on the trip is bad luck?